A number of closure devices have been in use providing a means to seal a vessel or container when not in use and to allow easy application of the material within the vessel when in an open position. Such closure devices are commonly used to seal vessels containing hand lotion, hand soaps, dishwasher detergents and other viscous materials. It is desirable that such closure devices be easy to operate, that they effectively seal the container against accidental spillage, and that they be attractive and inexpensive to manufacture.
One closure device which is presently manufactured contains a two-piece member, the first having an upper extending orifice forming member and the second piece slidably attached around this orifice forming member so as to move upward and downwardly with respect thereto and thereby respectively open and close the member. Such closure members are commonly used for dishwasher detergent. Due to the requirement that the second member be attached to the periphery of the first member, an assembly operation is required increasing the cost of the device.
Another closure device is manufactured by the Seaquist Company of Chicago, Ill. and is commonly known as a "living hinge" closure. This device is often used with hand lotion containers and has a centrally located orifice and a flap which is integrally attached to the closure cylinder so as to snap over the orifice when in a closed position and to maintain itself hinged away from the orifice when in an open position. Although manufactured as a single piece, the device is still somewhat expensive to manufacture because of the complicated nature of the "living hinge" arrangement.
The present invention is particularly suited as a closure device for containers of hand lotion, liquid detergent and other materials that have a somewhat viscous nature. The invention in addition can be used for virtually any type of liquid containing vessel, including liquids that are highly fluid (low viscosity) in consistency.
The present invention is inexpensive to manufacture since it may be molded in a single operation even though there are two parts which cooperate with each other to form the overall device. The invention includes a cylindrically shaped closure member which fits over the neck of the container used to store the fluid and a slidably interfitting disk member which mounts within a pair of grooves formed in the upper surface of the closure member. The closure member includes an upwardly extending orifice forming member whose termination lies in a plane slightly higher than that of the upper surface of the closure member. It is slightly depressed when the disk member rides over it so as to form an extremely tight seal both for shipping and for general storage purposes.
The disk member may further include a pair of downwardly depending pins which slidably interfit with two arcuate slots formed in the upper surface of the closure member so as to force the disk member to snap into either its open or closed position when it is manually moved. The snap action movement of the disk member insures that the device is securely in either the open or closed position and further indicates to the user that the device is operating properly. It has been found that a snap action closure device makes the device not only easier to use but also more desirable to use.
Since the closure device can be manufactured as a single piece, manufacturing costs are minimized. Indeed the device can be formed so that the disk member is attached at one point to the closure member when first and so that the purchaser has a visual indication that the container has not been tampered with since manufacture.